Searched and Known by a Loving God
Jennifer is a wife and stay-at-home mom to three children. She loves to speak and write about the goodness of God, His abundant grace, and great mercy.
Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I stand up; You understand my thoughts from far away. Psalm 139:1-2 (CSB)
Sometimes in our house, something really goes missing. By “really,” I mean I can’t find it. Because in our home, it’s not truly lost unless mom doesn’t know where it is. When this happens, a massive search gets underway, and nothing is left unturned.
Couch cushions lifted, drawers dug through, and closets scoured. And, when we’re desperate, we start looking in places that don’t even make sense, like the file cabinet that hasn’t been utilized for years.
Often, during our pursuit, we will find other things we thought were missing or something in the wrong location. The worst is finding stuff underneath the sofas. It’s then I realize what usually looks like a clean living room is not because there’s been a rotting piece of string cheese hanging out under the couch for who knows how long.
Once the rummaging is called off, and everything is put back in its appropriate place, I feel much better knowing that our house is a bit tidier than it was before the search.
It’s incredible to think that the way we search fervently for a lost item is the way God searches us. He searches our hearts and minds carefully and thoroughly. Sometimes He finds motives in the wrong place, or thoughts that need to be tossed, or rotting sins. Even so, He continues His search, determined to know us. “If anyone loves God, He is known by Him” (1 Corinthians 8:3).
This God who searches our hearts is the same God who surrounds us with His greatness, who gives rest from trials and provides us with a song of praise. The Lord of Armies, the God of our salvation, and the Rock of our strength. He knows us so intimately He takes heed of our every move. He understands our thoughts from far away. Far away where He is seated on “His throne where the train of the robe fills the temple” (Isaiah 6:1). In Isaiah’s time, the length of a king’s train was primarily associated with power – the longer the train, the more power. Our God is most powerful, and He still chooses to know us deeply.
God never stops searching. He never gives up, is always observing, always examining, and always with us. “Before a word is on my tongue, You know all about it, Lord. You have encircled me; You have placed Your hand on me” (Psalm 139:4-5). No wonder King David followed those verses with: “This wondrous knowledge is beyond me. It is lofty; I am unable to reach it” (Psalm 139:6).
We may loosen our grip, but He never loosens His. May we remember every move we make is observed by our loving Father. May we search for Him as He searches us. May we begin to understand how fearfully and wonderfully we are made (Psalm 139:14) by the One who fashioned us in His image. May any lie that tries to shake us be searched out and thrown away. May His love explode within us so that it overflows to everyone around us. And, most of all, may God receive the precious glory He deserves.
